Sol-gel spin coating process to fabricate a new type of uniform and thin organosilica coating on polysulfone film

Using 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE) as the precursor and 1-propanol as the solvent, a uniform and defect-free hybrid organosilica thin coating was successfully deposited onto polysulfone (PSF) film via a sol-gel process using spin coating. The structural characterization, morphology and surface wettability of the BTESE-derived silica coating on PSF film were investigated. Results showed that the outermost layer of the composite film consisted of nanoscale hybrid organosilica networks that were approximately 200 nm in thickness with a low surface roughness. In addition, the measured water contact angle of the composite film decreased from 78.8 degrees to 45.5 degrees, which showed that the surface wettability of the BTESE-coated PSF composite film was also improved. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.